We characterized the dispersal modes and spatial patterns of 128 tree species in a tropical semi-evergreen forest of Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. A high percentage of species are animal-dispersed (78%), while about 22% (28) are dispersed abiotically (wind or gravity-dispersed). Of the animal-dispersed species, 54 species were primarily bird-dispersed, 25 were mammal-dispersed, and 21 were dispersed by both groups. We hypothesized that adult tree distribution patterns were related to dispersal mode and fruit size. We predicted that tree species with mechanisms for long-distance seed dispersal are likely to show more uniform or random spatial patterns than those with limited seed dispersal. Tree species with large fruits were also predicted to have greater levels of clumping than those that have small fruits. However, all tree species had a clumped distribution pattern. At the community level, we found no differences in spatial patterns based on dispersal mode for a subset of 50 tree species. Fruit size was, however, positively correlated with higher levels of spatial aggregation suggesting that tree species distributions are to an extent limited by dispersal. The importance of dispersal mode in determining adult tree distribution patterns at the community level may be obscured by interacting effects of other factors such as patchy habitat conditions and density-dependent mortality factors at different life-history stages that ultimately determine adult tree distributions.

This study characterizes the flowering and fruiting phenology of the 13 most common pioneer tree species in early successional forests of the Central Amazon. For each species, 30 individuals, 10 each in three secondary forests, were monitored monthly for four years at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, north of Manaus. Five species showed nearly continuous flowering and fruiting throughout the study, indicating that resources were available to pollinators and dispersers on a regular basis. The other eight species showed stronger seasonality in reproduction, seven of them annually, and one supra-annually. Overall, flowering was concentrated in the transition from the dry to the rainy season and fruiting was concentrated in the rainy season. There was no relationship between reproductive phenology and tree pollinator type or dispersal mode. Reproductive phenology was remarkably consistent year to year. The pioneer community showed a variety of phenological patterns but as a whole tended to be characterized by annual flowering and fruiting, either continuously or seasonally, thereby fitting generalizations of pioneer species relative to mature forest species.

Pour mieux connaître la phytodiversité du Sanctuaire à gorilles de Mengamé, Cameroun, un inventaire botanique des arbres a été réalisé à la suite d'un échantillonnage classique basé sur la mise en place de transects. Au total 57 transects, chacun de 2,5 km de long et 5 m de large, totalisant 70,2 ha, ont permis de répertorier 23929 arbres appartenant à 49 familles, 191 genres et 307 espèces. Les résultats permettent de distinguer 10 types d'habitats d'importance égale pour la conservation. Les plus représentés sont les forêts denses secondaires âgées avec une dominance des espèces de la famille des Caesalpiniaceae et avec la présence d'essences de grand intérêt pour la conservation. L'analyse des indices de diversité pour cet inventaire montre une biodiversité relativement importante dans cette forêt. Comme implication de cette étude, les efforts de conservation de la biodiversité de la réserve doivent prendre en compte la composante végétation dans son intégralité.

In this study we investigated how the use of mangrove wood for fish smoking by local people in some localities of the South West (SW) Province of Cameroon may be in conflict with the conservation and sustainability of mangrove ecosystems. With the use of socio-economic surveys, from February to July 2006, we established that the amount of the annual fuel-wood harvest for five study sites was about 102,650 m³ (i.e., an amount equivalent to clearing about 205.3 ha of mangrove forests annually). It is estimated that approximately 62% of this total is used to smoke most of the fish (i.e., about 90.7% of the fish landings) across the five study sites. The quantities of wood seemed to vary proportionately with fish landings across sites, hence indicating a probable direct correlation between mangrove wood harvested and its use in fish smoking. The different uses of mangrove wood were similar in all sites, but the quantities of wood extracted from different sites varied, with sites of high fish landings registering the highest fuel-wood turnover. It seemed that local people were unaware of the need to maintain ecosystem functions despite the close relationship between wood and fish harvesting, and their importance in ensuring the livelihood for local population in the study areas. From the revision of current management policies and field observations, we propose the development of adaptive management strategies aimed at improving policy, creating public awareness, and integrating local communities in the development of a sustainable management plan for the mangrove resources of Cameroon.

The Lower Tana River forests in coastal Kenya represent lowland evergreen riverine tropical forest types that are rare in Kenya and probably in Africa. We assessed the bird species composition and forest conditions of 14 forest patches within the Lower Tana River valley each February and October between 1999 and 2004. Vegetation structures showed variations of different strengths in individual forest patches, but only canopy height differed significantly across sites. Overall, canopy cover was correlated directly with canopy height but inversely with bare ground. A total of 155 bird species of 43 families comprising 9 forest specialists (FF), 27 forest generalists (F), 42 forest visitors (f) and 77 species associated with savannah/woodland ecosystems were recorded from the 14 forest patches. The overall bird species composition did not differ significantly across these forest patches, but similarities in species composition of different strengths were evident across the sites.

Human-induced extinction rate of fauna has increased over the last century. The danger is particularly acute in the tropics where conservation resources are scarcest, where habitat conversion is more rapid, and where the threat to biodiversity especially to primate species and populations is greatest. This is the case for the whole primate community occurring at the eastern part of the Upper Guinea forests. The situation is particularly critical for Côte d'Ivoire. To update the distribution and conservation status of primates in south-eastern and south-central Côte d'Ivoire, we conducted surveys consisting of interviews and walks in selected forests reserves, National Parks, private forests, and unprotected forests in Côte d'Ivoire in 2004-2006. Among the forests surveyed, the Tanoé forest is the only forest where several endangered primate taxa have survived. The diana roloway (Cercopithecus diana roloway) was found and the Miss Waldron's red colobus (Piliocolobus badius waldronae) was suspected in this forest. These monkeys are listed among the 25 most threatened primates in the world and the probable extinction of the latter was reported in the literature. The Tanoé forest also supports two Endangered monkey species (Cercocebus atys lunulatus and Colobus vellerosus) and one Near Threatened monkey species (Procolobus verus). This forest represents the most “threatened hotspot” for primate diversity and a priority for primate conservation in West Africa. Throughout Tanoé forest, Primate Conservation Societies have a unique opportunity to prevent the extinction of West African primates that are under severe threats.

Teak (Tectona grandis L.f; Verbenaceae) is a diploid species (2n=36). It is native to the tropical deciduous forests of India, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. Snuffed for its aesthetic physical properties and its qualities, teak is becoming increasingly important in the forest plantation development in Côte d'Ivoire. To preserve the genetic resources of this species and ensure the supply of genetically superior quality germplasm for improvement and plantations, a core collection of superior genotypes with large genetic diversity is a prerequisite. This paper reports the use of site-specific recombinase (SSR) technology using microsatellite DNA markers to investigate the level of genetic variability, distribution of genetic variation and genetic relatedness in Tectona grandis grown in Côte d'Ivoire. The proportion of the total genetic variation resides within provenances (80.52 %) with 5.5 % of the variation occurring among populations of one region and 13.98 % among regions. The SSR markers showed a clear differentiation of the populations introduced in Côte d'Ivoire with an Fst = 0.21. The populations coming from the natural area were characterized by three clusters corresponding to South India, North India and Thailand. The study on the origin of African teak was close to North of India. However, Bambuku 7 population was an exception, as it seemed to have some affinity with Thailand populations. The use of SSR markers for conservation of teak forest diversity is discussed.

As a result of forest modification, primates are increasingly having to rely on fragments; so too are the human populations that have historically relied on continuous forest for critical resources. The role of primates in seed dispersal is increasingly understood to have significant unique effects on plant demography and forest regeneration. Our aim in this paper is to explore the potential for monkey seed dispersers to maintain the utility of forest fragments for humans through seed dispersal in the Taï region, western Côte-d'Ivoire. We established a list of fruit species whose seeds are dispersed by seven of eight monkey species occurring in the Taï National Park by using primary data and published accounts of their fruit diet, and determined the abundance of human-used and monkey-dispersed tree species in forest fragments in the broader Taï region. The monkeys of the Taï National Park consumed 75 tree species. Of this total set of 75 species, 52 (69%) were dispersed almost exclusively by monkeys and were found in neighboring forest fragments. Of the 52 fruiting forest tree species that are dispersed by Taï monkeys, 25 (48%) have some utility to local inhabitants suggesting that maintaining populations of primates is important not only for forest regeneration, but also for human populations that rely on forest resources. The conservation of primate species is a critically important goal in itself, but by working to ensure their protection in forest fragments, we certainly protect indirectly the seed dispersal of important human resources in these fragments as well.